


gap year

by blimeyphan (beanieklaine)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Car Accident, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Swearing?, implied/referenced alcohol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-17 22:56:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4684415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beanieklaine/pseuds/blimeyphan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil Lester. Kicked out of his parents' house at eighteen, disowned, and lost of where to go. His friend, Dan Howell, has just graduated university, and offers to take him on the best gap year of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dan picks up his phone in a sleepy daze, immediately smiling when he sees the caller. Phil. Answering with a lovesick greeting, he sits up almost instantly after hearing the tone.

“I’m halfway to your house,” Phil says in a flat, hoarse voice, before hanging up. Dan immediately wiggles into his skinny jeans, throws on his favourite jacket, and runs a brush quickly through his hair before grabbing his phone to quietly sneak downstairs. His brother is asleep down the hallway, and they don’t need to know.

His phone dings quietly. A cryptic message from Phil that reads, “Open the door to your flat.” Dan follows Phil’s instruction. A soaking wet Phil wearing nothing more than a black t-shirt and black skinny jeans walks inside, shivering. Dan doesn’t ask any questions, but offers him a dry change of clothes and a spot on his bed. “What happened, Phil?” Dan says in a tone that suggests this has happened before, though the two live almost an hour’s walk away.

A more comfortable Phil refuses to look Dan in the eye when he says, “I came out to my parents.”  Dan gasped audibly and immediately wrapped his arms around his best friend, whispering cautiously, “And?” Phil glares at him and says, “They’ve given me a week to move out.”

Dan listens one minute, and the next he’s doing everything he possibly can to comfort Phil. Phil starts crying, and Dan realises that the water on Phil’s glasses might not have been rain. Dan states, “Phil, you’re welcome to stay here. You’re over so often you might as well have moved in, and my brother loves you.” Phil smiles gratefully, his eyes glistening with tears, his glasses slightly askew, wearing Dan’s baggy Muse t-shirt. Dan figures that neither of them is getting any sleep, as it’s almost five in the morning. He knows better than to ask for details, especially right now. Climbing under the covers and patting the space next to him, he switches on his telly, turning the volume down, before handing Phil the other controller.

 

It’s ten am on a Saturday, and Adrian enters the room to see his brother and his best friend asleep together in his bed, video game controllers not too far from their heads. He simply chuckles and heads downstairs to make breakfast for the three of them. It’s a half hour later when both boys blink their eyes blearily and wake up, Phil’s arms wrapped around Dan’s torso. As the two shower, change, and straighten their hair, an uncomfortable silence hangs heavily in the room. Phil sighs after he’s finished with his hair, knowing that Dan would want an explanation.

“Dan?” he calls quietly. Dan sits next to him on the futon, patiently waiting for Phil to go on. “I told you yesterday that I came out to my parents. T-they were yelling at me for the used condom that Billy left in my bag, screaming that I wasn’t allowed to see anyone. T-typical, really. I just got so angry because they kept i-insinuating that I was a s-s-slut who was f-fucking all the girls in our school. I-I accidentally told them that I was bisexual, and you know that they’re not supportive. T-they expressed their disappointment that I was following ‘that lifestyle’ and t-told me I have a week to move out,” Phil hiccups.

 Dan carefully strings his words together. “Phil, your parents are huge arseholes and you know it. Nobody should judge you for being who you are. I would be happy to let you stay here for as long as you need.”

Phil’s eyes open comically, and he says, “N-no, I would be invading. I can call Martin.” Dan cuts him off and says, “There’s no one else in this flat, and Adrian and I have a spare room. Please, Phil. I want you to stay here.” Phil agrees reluctantly, and Dan drags him downstairs for breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dan and Phil sort out their lives.

Breakfast is over now, and the two of them can’t put off talking about it anymore.

  
“Phil, do you still have a key to that house?” Dan asks. Phil winces and nods his head. “Do you maybe want to go there one day whilst they’re at work and collect your things?”  
Phil sighs, taking a breath, and says in a much stronger voice than he feels, “I knew that I would have to eventually. They’re at work right now; you know they always put themselves first. We could go right now? They shouldn’t be home for at least six or seven hours.”

  
Dan smiles at him gently and grabs Phil’s hand, throwing him a jacket off the nearby rack and grabbing his car keys. Calling out quickly to Adrian of their departure, who shouts a quick farewell, he backs out of the car park.

  
The car ride to Phil’s old house is solemn and quiet. Dan is scared he will say something that might come off insensitive, and Phil hates that he feels like he’s a burden to Dan. Upon their arrival, Phil asks Dan to check if anyone is home. Nobody is.

Phil scampers up to his room quickly, grabbing Dan with him. Throwing all of his most valued items (his signed Buffy comics, his phone and laptop, and his stuffed lion plushies) into a bag, he grabs his worn suitcase and throws in all of his clothes. Dan helps tear down his band posters (mainly gifts from him, anyway) and clears the entire room of Phil’s belongings. He loads them into his car, until the room looked as if no one had ever lived in it, the blue wallpaper finally visible after being concealed by Phil’s posters and calendars.

  
Phil takes one last look at the place he used to call home, and pulls the key out of his pocket. Pulling his key ring out of one of the various boxes, he hooks it on. Dan looks on curiously, and Phil sighs, “I don’t know why I’m keeping it. The last few years have been horrible, to say the least, but I still have memories of my childhood. Maybe one day I can come back.” Dan flashes an understanding smile, before pulling into the car park and taking his keys out of the ignition.

  
Screaming a quick, “Adrian! Get your lazy arse down here,” Dan helps unload some of Phil’s things out of the car. Whilst Adrian and Phil bring up the rest of the boxes they had packed, Dan takes out Phil’s duvet and spreads it on the bed. He hangs up some of the posters and makes sure to set up everything just how he knows Phil likes it. He decides to leave most of the decorating to Phil, but grabs a few throw pillows from the supply closet and leaves them on the bed.

  
Phil walks into the room, and smiles at Dan in thanks. Phil’s glad that his parents didn’t know very much about Dan. He feels safe, here in Dan’s flat. Adrian peeks his head in to see his brother and his best friend sitting on Phil’s bed, surrounded in a comfortable silence, the two leaning one each other. He smiles, and says quietly, as to not alarm them, “Do you guys want to play Mario Kart with me?” Phil eagerly agrees, dragging Dan with him. Dan knows that he could easily beat Phil, but just this once, he allows Phil to win.

 

  
It’s four am now, and the three boys are snuggled on the sofa together, watching an episode of Game of Thrones. Phil’s head lays comfortably in Dan’s lap, and Adrian’s comfortably in Phil’s. Maybe it’s just a delirious morning thought, but it runs through Phil’s head that the three of them make a better family than he can ever remember his parents to be.

  
It’s morning again, two days later, and Phil receives a text whilst munching on Dan’s cereal.

  
Sent: 10:30 AM  
From: Matthew Lester  
To: Phillip Lester  
You’ve taken your things. Good. Don’t come back.

Phil cries for a few hours afterwards. It’s finally hit him. His parents don’t want him anymore. His parents, who were meant to be his biggest cheerleaders, his support system, don’t want him. The final nail in the coffin is when he receives papers regarding his disownment in the post. He immediately calls his brother, who assures him that regardless of what the law says, they’re brothers, and that he loves him. It makes him feel slightly better.

  
Martin tells Dan and Adrian that he’s really glad that they’re both there for Phil. He thanks them for being his brothers when he didn’t have any, and Dan wonders why he gets a sharp pain in his chest at that.  
Phil stays strong all throughout the trial, explaining his case to the judge in a guarded tone. The judge gives him a sympathetic look, but the legal system is fucked up, and he’s disowned and it hits him that he doesn’t have parents anymore. His brother, Dan, and Adrian comfort him after the trial, but it still hurts that the two people who are meant to give you unconditional love want no relation to them. Martin tells him afterwards he wants to be disowned too, and they hug each other and drink alcohol. Martin whispers quietly, “Remember, baby brother. Don’t drink. Today’s an exception.” Phil smiles weakly and Martin tells him that he’s one of the strongest people he’s ever met, going through all that at merely eighteen. Things look like they’re going up.

  
Phil’s still accepted to his dream school, University of Manchester. Martin still lives in Manchester in his cosy little flat, designing websites, and Dan, being 22, has already graduated from university. Adrian has graduated from his sixth form college a year early at seventeen, and has decided to go to university at University of Manchester.

  
Dan, Phil, and Adrian decide to move up to Manchester. Phil contacts his university and tells them his situation. The admissions team is understanding, and suggests he takes a year to straighten out his life. He’s lucky; they’ve offered to keep his place for next year and will allow him to go, free of charge. Phil finds himself relieved, because he isn’t sure if he’s ready to go yet.

  
Dan offers to travel the world with Phil during that year. Call it his gap year. Adrian and Martin were invited, of course, but Adrian wants to go to university, and Martin cannot leave his job or his girlfriend Cornelia. Adrian moves in with Martin. They’ve grown close and practically consider themselves brothers.

  
Phil works as a tutor for the entire summer, and manages to earn a good amount of money. His high grades in his sixth form college paid off, and he’s earned a lot of money. People are willing to pay a lot to succeed. Many nights are spent lying in bed, thinking about success and the stars and plants. Philosophical. The other nights are spent eagerly planning out his travels with Dan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading the second chapter. I'm sorry if it looks like it's moving fast; I'm really eager to start writing them on the road. Basically, Adrian and Martin live together. Martin's still working. Adrian goes to university. Phil gets accepted but takes a gap year. Dan decides to go with him.
> 
> I still don't have a schedule, unfortunately, but I've planned loosely what will happen. Thanks for reading, and leave a comment down below maybe?

**Author's Note:**

> so this is basically a fic where the two of them are going to leave their little town together and travel? idk i haven't really sorted anything out yet and this story literally doesn't have a schedule or anything but thanks for reading


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